Band and Orchestral Instruments

Band and orchestral instruments include the brass instrument class, woodwind instrument class and string instrument class as well as percussion. Drums, violin, flute, clarinet, piccolo, saxophone, trumpet and trombone all fall into these categories of instruments as do bass, French horn and cello.

Many young musicians start out with a clarinet, flute or brass instrument such as a trumpet of French horn in their middle school band. Of course, these instruments are also used in professional orchestras as well. The reason these “starter instruments” are popular is because they help new musical students learn to play an instrument and read notes and are easier to pick up than some of the other band and orchestral instruments.

A woodwind instrument or string instrument like the bass, violin or cello are usually reserved for more advanced study although there are those who start off on these instruments immediately. Other popular band and orchestral instruments for advanced students include the piccolo, saxophone, trombone, and French horn.

Drums are in a class of their own. Drums belong to the percussion instruments and are just as important as any other band and orchestral instrument. Drums provide the rhythm and backbone of a piece of music in many cases. They are often not the easiest to teach or transport for purposes of introductory instruments; however, no band or orchestra would be complete without their presence in the orchestral pit and for many musicians the drums are the instrument of choice first and foremost when choosing their instrument.